Manufacturers can make their figures in any colour they choose, but there is often no attempt to select one that is suitable for the subject. Indeed some make their entire range in just one colour, which makes little difference for customers that paint their figures, but for those that do not (often because they are buying in large quantities) they find opposing forces in identical colours and therefore more difficult to distinguish on the table top (and that much less realistic too).

On this page we suggest appropriate colours for various periods and campaigns. We have chosen to suggest that all units in a particular nation's army should be of a consistent colour. Thus for example although French Napoleonic Dragoons wore mostly green uniforms, we suggest a mid-blue for the French army as a whole, so the dragoons too should conform to this.

In deciding the colours we have taken the following considerations into account:

1. The predominant colour of the troops (i.e. infantry) in the army. So we suggest the Napoleonic French army should be in mid blue, but the preceding Royal French army (as for the American Revolution) should be in a light blue that better reflects their off-white coats of the time (light grey would be better, but Austria already have that).
2. The most common colour of existing figures. In some cases there are already one or more sets for a subject that use a different colour to the one we would choose. If these are a large proportion of the total currently available then we have chosen to suggest that future sets be produced in the same colour to maintain consistency.
3. Different armies should be distinguishable. In some cases opposing armies would be in much the same colour if we only used the above guidelines, so we sometimes take liberties with what might be called the dominant colour to ensure they stay distinct.
4. Practicality. If the plastic colour of a figure is too dark or too light then it is difficult to see the detail, and just as importantly, it is a nightmare to photograph them on any review websites you might be running. At the extremes, black figures are very hard to make out except at very close range, and pure white figures also successfully hide the quality of the detail.
5. Not too loud. Very strong and pure colours can make the figures painful to look at, and again detail is effectively masked. This also presents a problem for painters as it takes multiple coats to hide the plastic colour, and of course such vivid colours are unrealistic on the battlefields of history.

The rest of this page is a list of the campaigns covered by this hobby with the suggested plastic colours for each participant. An example of each colour is shown, but it should be remembered that exactly how this colour appears on your screen will depend on its quality and settings and will therefore not be exactly the same to everyone.

Ancient Middle East

Ancient Asia

Ancient Greece and Alexander

Republican Rome

Imperial Rome

Dark Ages

Medieval

Thirty Years War

English Civil War

Conquest of America

War of the Spanish Succession

Great Northern War

Jacobite Rebellions

Seven Years War

American Revolution

Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars

War of 1812

Carlist Wars

Texan War of Independence

US - Mexican War

Crimean War

Italian Wars of Independence

American Civil War

Franco - Prussian War

American West

Zulu Wars

Mahdist Revolt

North-West Frontier (India)

Sudan 1898

Spanish - American War (1898)

Boer Wars

Boxer Rebellion

French North Africa

Russo - Japanese War

World War I

American Expedition in Mexico, 1916

Spanish Civil War

World War II

Korean War

Cold War

Vietnam War